The Sound of Laughter (Evy Story 45)
by quietandsneaky
Summary: Dean has been teasing Evy a little too much lately, so Sam, John, and Bobby work together to teach him a lesson. A little more lighthearted than most of my more recent stories.


**Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.**

 **A/N: I swear I'm still working on my multi-chapter story Year by Year-Second Time Around. But I keep getting all these wonderful ideas! Like I said in the last story, sorry if anyone's on Evy overload, but it's a good release for me. Hope you guys are enjoying reading her half as much as I've enjoyed writing her.**

 **The Sound of Laughter**

"Quit picking on me, Deanie!"

Sam sighed and got up to go to the bedroom where Evy was playing. Dean had been in a particularly mischievous mood lately, and since Sam was big enough to ignore him, he had started taking his moods out on seven-year-old Evy. He was never overtly mean to her, but would make comments on how little she was, which was what Bobby called Evy's 'hot button'. She was tiny for her age, but was quick to point out she could do just as much as any other kid could do. When Sam made it to the bedroom, he found a smirking Dean standing just above Evy and a pouting Evy lying on the floor with some crayons and a coloring books.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

Evy looked to the door of the bedroom and said, "Deanie's picking on me again."

Sam looked at Dean with a _are you freaking kidding me?_ expression. "Really, Dean? Picking on a little kid?"

Sam immediately regretted his choice of words when Evy almost shouted, "I'm _not little!"_

"Sorry, Cricket. I know you're not." Sam said. He turned back to Dean and said, "Dean, seriously. _Knock it off._ This has been going on for days. Do I have to get Dad involved?"

"Okay, okay." Dean said. He looked down and noticed Evy looking angry and upset. He felt bad; he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

"'Kay." Evy said simply, but she wouldn't look at him.

"Kiddo…"

"Dean. Leave her alone." Sam said. "You can talk to her later."

Dean looked guilty, but he left like Sam said. Sam sat down next to Evy on the floor. He could see how much whatever Dean had said to her was bothering her. Evy had put her crayon down on the floor and sat up when she felt Sam place a hand on her back. She leaned against Sam for a minute until Sam finally spoke.

"Talk to me."  
Evy sniffed. "I just wish Deanie would quit picking on me about being little."

"I know. I know it bothers you. And it's okay to tell him to knock it off like you did. I'm proud of you for that." Sam said.

"But he keeps doing it." Evy said. "How do I make him stop?"  
"You want to talk to Daddy about it?" Sam asked.

Evy thought about it and answered, "No. I don't want to get him in trouble with Daddy. I just want to do something to make him see how much it bothers me."

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Evy said.

Sam didn't know where it came from, but he got an idea. Dean prided himself on taking care of them. He knew it was mean to play on that, but it was the only way to get through to Dean. Evy noticed that Sam was smiling.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I think I have an idea about how to teach Dean a lesson." Sam said. "Tell me what you think."

Evy listened to Sam's plan and smiled. "That's kinda mean. But I like it."

"Okay. Come on, let's go talk to Daddy. We'll need his help."  
The next morning, when Dean woke up, he still felt bad about picking on Evy. He knew it bothered her to be picked on about her size. The truth was, Dean admired her. She was a sensitive kid sometimes, but she was also tough as nails. He decided he was going to spend that day making it up to her for being a jerk, and he would make sure to tell her what a cool kids she was.

Dean went into the kitchen and started to make pancakes for Evy. Sam had shown him after the last time he'd upset Evy a few days earlier how to make cinnamon pancakes, Evy's favorite. Just as he plated the last pancake, Sam came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Dean."  
"Hey." Dean said. "Where's baby girl? She still asleep?"  
Sam stopped and looked at Dean like he was crazy. "Who?"

Dean, surprised at Sam's response, said, "Baby girl. Evy. Our little sister. Where is she?"

"Dean, I don't know what you're talking about."

 _What the hell?_ Dean thought, when John came in to join them. "Dad, have you seen baby girl?"

John took a pancake off the plate. "Who?"

"Evy! Has either of you seen Evy?" Dean asked, starting to panic.

"Dean, are you okay?" John asked. "You don't have a sister."

Dean smiled, but he was not even remotely amused. "Come on, you two. You're messing with me. Now where is she?"

John and Sam looked at each other, then back at Dean. "Dean, I think you should go sit in the living room. Something's wrong with you."

"Wrong with _me_?" Dean asked. "You guys have forgotten an entire kid and you're worried about me?"  
"Dean, watch your tone." John said. He had to fight to maintain his normal tone of voice. "Go sit in the living room. Do not get up until I say so. That's an order."

Defeated, Dean walked to the living room and sat on the couch like John had ordered him to. _What in the hell is going on? Baby girl, where are you?_ Dean heard John and Sam walk outside the back door, and Dean got another idea. _Bobby. He'll know what to do._ Dean picked up the phone and dialed Bobby's number, keeping an ear open in case John came back inside. The phone rang four times before Bobby picked up.

"Yeah?"  
"Bobby? Bobby, it's Dean. I need your help bad, man. Something's wrong with Dad and Sam." Dean explained in a hurry.

"Wrong with 'em? What the hell you talking about?" Bobby asked gruffly.

"Evy's nowhere around, and Dad and Sam aren't freaked out. They don't seem to know who she is." Dean said.

There was a long pause before Bobby asked, "Dean? You feeling all right? Who's Evy?"

Just as Dean was wondering _What the hell? Bobby's in on this too?,_ his father's sharp voice practically shouted from the doorway. "Dean!"

Dean was so shocked that he threw the phone to the floor. "Dad…"  
"What was my order, son?"

"Dad, I…" Dean stuttered.

"What was my _order_?" John repeated, placing emphasis on the last word.

Dean swallowed. "Stay in the living room."

"Exactly. You were on the phone why?" John asked.

"Dad, come on, please tell me this is a joke. You really don't remember Evy?"

"Dean, Sam and I are leaving. We'll be gone for two hours. Go to your room and _stay there._ " John said. "We'll figure out what's happening to you, Ace."

"What's happ…? Dad!"

"Dean, I'm not arguing about this with you. Get to your room or me and Sam will knock you out and cuff you to your bed. Make your choice now."

Dean had never truly questioned his father or Sam's sanity, but now he did. Something had to be wrong. Very wrong. But Bobby seemed to be affected by it too. Dean made up his mind to try and find out what was wrong with his dad and Sam before they came back from wherever they were going. He got up off the couch and started towards his room.

"Okay, Dad. Whatever you say."

"We'll be back." John repeated. When John and Sam heard Dean shut the door to his room, they went out the front door and towards John's truck. Once inside, they exploded in a fit of laughs.

"Did you see the look on his face, Dad?"  
"Yes, I did." John said.

"Hey, Dad?" Sam said once they'd both calmed down. "Thanks for helping with this."

"You're welcome, bud." John said. "Come on, let's go."

As John drove, he thought to himself how nice it felt to be working with Sam on something rather than arguing with him. Their arguing and fighting had been happening more frequently lately, and John couldn't remember the last time the two of them had laughed together about something. Back at the house, Dean was close to panic. His entire family was insane. He knew he had a little sister, no matter what anyone told him. He found that John hadn't locked the door, which surprised him, but he decided to take advantage of it. He did research for an hour and fifty minutes. When he came up with nothing, Dean decided to go back to his room, just in case John was punctual for once.

Dean noticed something on the way back to his room. The door to the bedroom Evy and Sam had been using was closed. He opened it up and got even more confused. Sam's stuff was in the room, in pretty much the same place Dean remembered the last time he'd been in there. But there was no trace of Evy. There was a second bed, but it was bare. Squish, Evy's stuffed cat she slept with every night, was gone. Her little stack of books she kept next to the bed was gone. Her box of art supplies, which contained a mixture of whole and broken crayons, markers, colored pencils, and various other odds and ends, was gone. The photo Sam kept in the room of him and Dean holding Evy was gone. Dean felt his heart sink. Was he truly losing his mind? Did he remember a little sister that didn't really exist? Dean pulled out his wallet to check. Sure enough, there was picture in the front, the same one Sam kept by his bed. Him and Sam were sitting on a park bench, holding a two year old grinning Evy between them.

"Where are you, baby girl?"

"Right here."

Dean spun around and couldn't believe his eyes. Evy stood there in front of him, holding Squish and her backpack, with John and Sam standing behind her. Evy was grinning, and Dean was so stunned he didn't speak for a whole sixty seconds. Evy filled the silence.

"Deanie? You okay?"

"Am I okay? Where the hell were you?" Dean asked, a mixture of relief and anger lacing his voice.

Dean immediately regretted it when Evy shrank back against Sam's leg. _She thinks I'm mad at her_ , Dean thought, and took a deep breath. "Baby girl, I'm sorry."  
"It's not fun when someone teases you too much, is it, Dean?" John said.

Dean was stunned to silence for the second time in two minutes. He realized right away what had happened. The two hours that Sam and John were pretending they didn't remember Evy were a prank. They were helping her get him back for all the teasing he'd done the last few days about her height. He wanted to be mad, but he really couldn't.

"It was a joke, wasn't it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam said.  
"What'd you do? Take her to Bobby's?" Dean asked.

"That's exactly what we did." John said. "I hope you learned a lesson here, Dean."

"I did." Dean sat on the edge of Sam's bed and extended his arm. "Come sit with me, baby girl?"

Evy walked over and stood in front of Dean.

"I'm really sorry, baby girl. I know it hurt your feelings when I teased you about your size. I'm sorry about that."

"You promise to be nice to me now?" Evy asked.

"Cross my heart." Dean promised. "Forgive me?"

"Not quite." Evy said. "Daddy said you're grounded today."  
"Grounded?" Dean said, looking over to John. "I'm twenty-one!"

"Doesn't matter." John said. "We could always talk about another punishment for being mean to your sister…"

"No, sir. I'm good." Dean said. When John was grinning, Dean asked, "Are you teasing me now?"  
"Maybe. Maybe not." John said.

"Man, I hate staying in my room all day."

"Dean, we never said you had to stay in your room." Sam said.

"I don't?"

"Nope." Evy said. "You gotta stay in mine."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

"You gotta stay with me. All day. And you gotta do whatever _I_ say." Evy said. "I'm _your_ big sister today."

Sam chuckled at Evy's explanation, and even Dean couldn't hide a grin.

"Okay, baby girl. Deal. What am I doing first?" Dean asked.

"I already planned it out. First you gotta make my bed, then you gotta put all my stuff back where I had it." Evy said.

"I can handle that." Dean said. "What else?"  
"Then you gotta play dress up with me."

Dean's face looked like he'd swallowed a whole an entire lemon. "Do I have to?"  
Evy kept a straight face for all of two seconds before she burst into giggles. "No. Then we're going fishing."

" _That_ I can handle." Dean said. "Were you teasing me just then?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Evy said with a shrug, making John laugh in the doorway.

"Come here, kiddo." Dean said, wrapping her in a hug. "I love you."

"Love you too, Deanie." Evy said.

"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." Dean said sincerely. "Truth is, I think you're the coolest kid around."

"And you're one of the coolest big brothers." Evy said.

"What about me?" Sam said, walking in to them.

Evy pulled away from Dean and looked at Sam. She was grinning again. "I said _one of_."

"Oh, yeah?" Sam said. "Even when I do this?"

Sam jumped towards her and started tickling her stomach. Dean tickled her neck, and John walked in and tickled her feet. The sound of Evy's laugh filled the whole house, and by the time everyone had calmed down, Dean had made a promise to himself. _I'll stick to making you laugh, baby girl. I like that sound much better._


End file.
